William Russell Fansher (February 26, 1876 – February 28, 1957) was a farmer and political figure in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

, Canada. He represented Last Mountain in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

from 1925 to 1930 as a Progressive Party member. He was born in Florence, Ontario, the son of Franklin Fansher and Lucy McLellan. In 1904, he married Mary Alice Dorcas Osborne. Later that year, he moved to

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina ( ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 Canadian census, ...

, where he operated the city's light plant. In 1906, he settled on a farm near Govan, Saskatchewan. Fansher was involved in the formation of the

Saskatchewan Wheat Pool The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool was a grain handling, agri-food processing and marketing company based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Pool created a network of marketing alliances in North America and internationally which made it the largest agricul ...

, the local rural telephone company and the Govan credit union and co-op store. He raised cattle and was called "Canada's Clover King" by

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

magazine. Fansher was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1930, 1935 and 1940. He died in Regina at the age of 81. His brother Burt also served in the House of Commons.

References

Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Saskatchewan Progressive Party of Canada MPs 1876 births 1957 deaths 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada {{Saskatchewan-MP-stub